Cabinet system

ABSTRACT

A cabinet system for securely storing items includes a cabinet housing, a controller, and at least one drawer unit. The cabinet housing has a locking mechanism, and the controller is in communication with the cabinet housing and configured to operate the locking mechanism. The drawer unit is designed to be releasably locked at least partially within the cabinet housing by the locking mechanism, and slidable within a portion of the cabinet housing when released by the locking mechanism. The drawer unit includes at least one storage compartment, a cover, memory, and a power source. The storage compartment is configured to store at least one item therein. The cover is movable to an open configuration and a closed configuration. When the cover is in the closed configuration, the cover limits access to the item of the storage compartment. The memory is powered by the power source and is configured to store data associated with a movement of the cover.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.13/032,753, filed Feb. 23, 2011, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S.application Ser. No. 12/351,679, filed Jan. 9, 2009, which areincorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates generally to the field of cabinetry forstoring medical supplies, such as pharmaceuticals, medical devices andother health care related items. More specifically, the presentdisclosure relates to a cabinet system for providing security andmonitoring related to stored items, such as medical supplies.

SUMMARY

An embodiment of the invention relates to a medical item storage cabinetsystem. They system includes a cabinet including a plurality of drawerbays and a data bus. Each bay slidably accepts a drawer and permitsmovement of the drawer between an open and closed position. The systemfurther includes a plurality of drawers. Each drawer slides within arespective bay of the cabinet. The cabinet may include drawers which areall secured, or a combination of secured and unsecured drawers. Thesecured drawers each include at least one compartment secured closed bya cover movable between open and closed positions to permit access tothe compartment. An electronic memory is attached to the drawer andstores movement data representative of movement of the cover. A covermonitoring device is coupled to the memory to permit the memory to storemovement data representative of movement of the cover. A connector isattached to the drawer and coupled to the memory. The connector makescontact with the data bus when the drawer is in the closed position, anddisconnects from the data bus when the drawer is in the open position. Alocking mechanism selectively locks each drawer within its respectivebay in a closed position. A controller is provided to control operationof the locking mechanism, and store data representative of theinformation stored in the electronic memory of a drawer.

Another embodiment of the invention relates to a cabinet system forsecurely storing items. The cabinet system includes a cabinet housing, acontroller, and at least one drawer unit. The cabinet housing has alocking mechanism, and the controller is coupled to the cabinet housingand configured to operate the locking mechanism. The drawer unit isdesigned to be releasably locked at least partially within the cabinethousing by the locking mechanism, and slidable within a portion of thecabinet housing when released by the locking mechanism. The drawer unitincludes at least one storage compartment, a cover, memory, and a powersource. The storage compartment is configured to store at least one itemtherein. The cover is movable to an open configuration and a closedconfiguration, such that when the cover is in the closed configuration,the cover limits access to the item of the storage compartment. Thememory is powered by the power source and is configured to store dataassociated with movement of the cover.

Another embodiment of the invention relates to a cabinet system forsecurely storing items. The cabinet system includes a cabinet housing, acontroller, at least one drawer unit, and memory. The cabinet housinghas a locking mechanism, and the controller is coupled to the cabinethousing and configured to operate the locking mechanism. The drawer unitis releasably locked at least partially within the cabinet housing bythe locking mechanism, and slidable within a portion of the cabinethousing when released by the locking mechanism. The drawer unit includesat least one storage compartment and a belt. The storage compartment isconfigured to store at least one item therein, and the belt is slidablerelative to the storage compartment, to an open configuration and aclosed configuration. When the belt is in the closed configuration, thebelt limits access to the item of the storage compartment. The memory isconfigured to store data representative of a movement of the belt.

Yet another embodiment of the invention relates to a cabinet system forsecurely storing items. The cabinet system includes a cabinet housing,at least one drawer unit, memory, a controller, and an alarm. Thecabinet housing has a locking mechanism, and the drawer unit isconfigured to be releasably locked at least partially within the cabinethousing by the locking mechanism. The drawer unit is also configured tobe slidable within a portion of the cabinet housing when released by thelocking mechanism. The drawer unit includes at least one storagecompartment and a cover. The storage compartment is configured to storeat least one item therein. The cover is movable to an open configurationand a closed configuration, where the cover limits access to the item ofthe storage compartment when the cover is in the closed configuration.The memory is connected to the cover and designed to store datarepresentative of a movement of the cover. The controller is incommunication with the cabinet housing and configured to operate thelocking mechanism, and to permit an authorized access to the item of thestorage compartment. The alarm is configured to be triggered in responseto the cover being moved without the controller having authorized accessto the item of the storage compartment.

Alternative exemplary embodiments relate to other features andcombinations of features as may be generally recited in the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The present invention will become more fully understood from thefollowing detailed description, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to likeelements, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cabinet system according to anexemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a cabinet system according to anotherexemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of a cabinet system accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of a drawer unit according to an exemplaryembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of a portion of the drawer unit of FIG. 5.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a portion of the drawer unit of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7. is a perspective view of a portion of the cabinet system of FIG.3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before turning to the figures, which illustrate the exemplaryembodiments in detail, it should be understood that the presentinvention is not limited to the details or methodology set forth in thedescription or illustrated in the figures. It should also be understoodthat the terminology is for the purpose of description only and shouldnot be regarded as limiting.

Access to medical items, such as medications, medical instruments,medicinal applicators, healthcare-related articles, or other items, maybe controlled by a storage cabinet system (e.g., medication cabinetry)designed to inhibit misuse, mistaken use, and theft of such items. Thecabinet system may be used by doctors, nurses, technicians, pharmacists,and others to store and controllably distribute the items. In at leastone embodiment disclosed herein, a cabinet system provides selectiveaccess to the items, which are stored in one or more drawer units of thecabinet system. The cabinet system is sensitive to unauthorized attemptsto access the contents of the one or more drawer units, and stores datarepresentative of such attempts, whether or not the attempts aresuccessful.

Referring to FIG. 1, a cabinet system 110 (e.g., dispensing station)includes a cabinet housing 112 (e.g., frame), a controller 114, and oneor more drawer units 116 (e.g., secure drawers with lids). According toan exemplary embodiment, the drawer units 116 of the cabinet system 110are arranged in one or more vertically-stacked rows 122, each row 122including one or more drawer units 116. The drawer units 116 of the rows122 may be uniform in size (see, e.g., assembly 310 of drawer units 312as shown in FIG. 3), or may include a variety of different sizes andrelative capacities.

One or more of the drawer units 116 are configured to be releasablylocked at least partially within the cabinet housing 112 by a lockingmechanism (see, e.g., locking mechanism 222 as shown in FIG. 2). Lockingof the drawer unit 116 within the cabinet housing 112 may inhibitunauthorized access to contents of the drawer unit 116, and/orunauthorized removal of the entire drawer unit 116. However, when thelocking mechanism is released, the drawer unit 116 may be slid relativeto the cabinet housing 112, such as pulled partially or fully out of thecabinet housing 112.

Still referring to FIG. 1, each drawer unit 116 includes a storagecompartment 118 (e.g., container) and a cover 120 coupled thereto. Thestorage compartment 118 is designed to securely store one or more itemstherein, such as medical supplies, and the cover 120 is designed to moveto an open configuration and a closed configuration. While in a closedconfiguration, the cover 120 is designed to limit access to the items ofthe storage compartment 118. However, when the cover 120 is in the openconfiguration and the drawer unit 116 has been sufficiently slid fromthe cabinet housing 112, contents of the storage compartment 118 may beaccessible for removal from the drawer unit 116.

In FIG. 1, the controller 114 is shown to include a computer terminal(e.g., laptop computer). The controller 114 is in communication (e.g.,wireless communication 124 or over a wired network) with at least one ofthe cabinet housing 112 and/or one of the drawer units 116. According toan exemplary embodiment, the controller 114 is configured to controloperation of the locking mechanism, so as to control the release of thelocking mechanism and correspondingly release the drawer unit 116 withrespect to the cabinet housing 112. In some embodiments, the controller114 is further configured to control movement of the cover 120, such asto move the cover 120 from the closed configuration to the openconfiguration, and/or visa versa.

According to an exemplary embodiment, at least one of the drawer units116 includes a tamper detection system. After the drawer unit 116 hasbeen released from the locking mechanism and the cover 120 is in theopen configuration relative to one of several compartments, the drawerunit 116 is sensitive to additional movements of the cover 120 or othercovers associated with the drawer where individual covers are used inplace of a single cover. For example, if a would-be thief attempts tomanually force movement of the cover 120 to gain unauthorized access toadditional compartments, a component(s) (e.g., sensor) of the drawerunit 116 provides notice of the attempt—regardless of whether theattempt was successful or not. In some embodiments, the componentgenerates a signal that triggers an alarm. In some embodiments, thesignal is stored in memory coupled to the drawer unit 116, and/orcommunicated to the controller 114 to be analyzed and possibly furthercommunicated. In other contemplated embodiments, the memory may becoupled to the cabinet housing 112 or to the controller 114.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a cabinet system 210 includes a cabinet housing212, a controller 214, and drawer units 216, 218. According to anexemplary embodiment, each drawer unit 216, 218 includes at least afirst storage compartment 224 and a second storage compartment 226. Eachstorage compartment 224, 226 is configured to store (e.g., hold,contain) one or more items. A locking mechanism 222 is configured toreleasably lock each drawer unit 216, 218 at least partially within thecabinet housing 212—for example, substantially within the cabinethousing 212, but with an end (e.g., face, handle, extensions) of eachdrawer unit 216, 218 extending from the cabinet housing 212.

As shown in FIG. 2, a cover 230 of the upper drawer unit 216 is in aclosed configuration, blocking access to contents of the storagecompartments 224, 226 thereof. A cover 232 of the lower drawer unit 218is in an open configuration relative to the first storage compartment224 thereof, where the cover 232 is clear of an opening 234 (e.g., openend, top) of the first storage compartment 224. As such, items stored inthe first storage compartment 224 of the lower drawer unit 218 may beaccessed (e.g., removed, added, replaced, used). However, items storedin the second storage compartment 226 of the lower drawer unit 218 areinaccessible as shown in FIG. 2, because the cover 232 is in a closedconfiguration relative to the second storage compartment 226 blockingaccess thereto.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the cabinet housing 212 includes avertical arrangement of bays 250. Each bay 250 includes a rear portion244 and a front portion 242. The front portion 242 of each bay 250 isconfigured to receive at least one drawer unit 216, 218 inserted throughan opening and slid within the cabinet housing 212 toward the rearportion 244. Proximate to the rear portion 244 of each bay 250, thecabinet housing 212 includes a connector 248 (e.g., port, interface,link, coupling) for receiving a complementary connector 246 coupled eachdrawer unit 216, 218.

Coupling of the connectors 246, 248 allows for power and/or datacommunication between the controller 214 and the drawer units 216, 218,where the controller 214 is linked to the bays 250 of the cabinethousing 212 by wire 260. According to an exemplary embodiment, theconnectors 246, 248 may be disconnected from each other when each drawerunit 216, 218 is slid away from the rear portion 244 of the bay 250, andmay be reconnected when the respective drawer unit 216, 218 is then slidback to the rear portion 244 of the bay 250, reconnecting the connectors246, 248.

According to an exemplary embodiment, at least one of the connectors246, 248 includes one or more spring-loaded pins (see, e.g., pins 330 asshown in FIG. 3) and the other of the connectors 246, 248 includes oneor more complementary ports configured to receive the pins. The pins maybe pulled from the ports as the drawer units 216, 218 are slid away fromthe rear portion 244 of the cabinet housing 212, and then reconnected tothe ports when the drawer units 216, 218 are slid back. In othercontemplated embodiments, the controller 214 and each drawer unit 216,218 remain in continuous communication (e.g., wired or wirelesscommunication), even when the drawer units 216, 218 are slid partiallyout of each bay 250.

In various embodiments the controller 214 may include a broad range ofcontrol devices, such as a general purpose processor,application-specific integrated circuitry, a digital control interfacemounted directly to the cabinet housing, a handheld remote control, anetwork of computers hard-wired to the cabinet system 210, or any othercollection of circuitry components configured to conduct calculations orto facilitate the activities described herein. In contemplatedembodiments, the controller 214 may be in wired or wirelesscommunication, fiber optic communication, communication via mechanicallinkage, or otherwise coupled to at least one of the cabinet housing 212and/or one of the drawer units 216, 218 of the cabinet system 210. Thecontroller 214 of FIG. 2 may also be linked to a network 254, such as anarrangement of hospital computers coupled to the internet or databasescontaining medical item information, medical personnel authorizationinformation, or patient-related care information.

The controller 214 is configured to operate the locking mechanism 222for each drawer unit 216, 218 via an actuator 252, such as an electricsolenoid coupled to the locking mechanism 222. In various contemplatedembodiments, the locking mechanism 222 includes at least one of a latch,a pin, a hook, a sliding bar, an interfering member, or another type oflocking mechanisms, such as other remotely-controllable lockingmechanisms that are commercially available. While the locking mechanism222 in FIG. 2 is shown to selectively lock an underside 262 of eachdrawer unit 216, 218 to the rear portion 244 of each bay 250, it iscontemplated that in other embodiments a locking mechanism may beconfigured to selectively lock any portion of each drawer unit 216, 218to any other portion of the cabinet system 210.

The controller 214 is further configured to operate the covers 230, 232of the drawer units 216, 218, such as to instruct one or more of thecovers 230, 232 to move to an open configuration relative to one or moreof the respective compartments 224, 226. According to an exemplaryembodiment, movement of the covers 230, 232 may occur while each drawerunit 216, 218 is in one of the bays 250, such that the items of thedrawer units 216, 218 may be then accessible when the drawer units 216,218 are sufficiently slid out of the cabinet housing 212. In someembodiments, the covers 230, 232 are configured to move forward andbackward (e.g., bi-directionally) relative to the compartments 224, 226.

The controller 214 is still further configured to operate a lock 256coupled to each cover 230, 232. The lock 256 may be used to fix therespective cover 230, 232 in a particular configuration, orientation, orposition when the corresponding drawer unit 216, 218 is slid away fromthe rear portion 244 of the cabinet housing 212. The lock 256 mayinclude, but is not limited to a solenoid configured to engage lockingholes in the covers 230, 232 (see, e.g., track 338 with perforations 346as shown in FIG. 5), a spring-biased latch configured to engage eachcover 230, 232 when the respective drawer unit 216, 218 is removed fromthe cabinet housing 212, and/or a high-ratio gear reduction (e.g.,high-reduction gear box) of an electric motor 258 or other actuator usedfor controllably moving the covers 230, 232, where with the electricmotor 258 stopped, the gear reduction is difficult to manually overcome.In still other embodiments the covers 230, 232 may be braked or lockedby a motor brake or by reversing the polarity of the motor.

Still referring to FIG. 2, each drawer unit 216, 218 is coupled to anelectronic memory 236 and a power source 238 for the electronic memory236. Preferably, memory 236 and power source 238 are physicallysupported by their respective drawer units to move with the drawer unitswhen they are moved. In various contemplated embodiments the electronicmemory 236 may store data in a variety of states, such as volatile,non-volatile, random-access memory, read-only memory, solid states, andthe like. The electronic memory 236 is configured to store (e.g.,record, retain, hold) data associated with movement of the covers 230,232. In some embodiments, the electronic memory 236 stores when thecovers 230, 232 are directed to move by the controller 214, and/or whenthe covers 230, 232 are manually forced to move, such during anattempted theft of items stored in the cabinet system 210. In someembodiments, the electronic memory 236 stores such data regardless ofwhether the covers 230, 232 are fully moved to an open or closedconfiguration.

In some embodiments, the electronic memory 236 is coupled to a clock andstores the time, date, and duration of movements of the covers 230, 232and/or relative configurations, positions, and orientations of thecovers 230, 232 (e.g., data such as: ‘compartment 226 of drawer unit 218was open from 18:00:31 to 18:17:09 hours on Month, Day, Year). In otherembodiments, the electronic memory 236 is configured to only store datawhen the covers 230, 232 have been manually forced to move, such aswithout authorization from the controller 214. Data directly associatedwith cover movement may include date representative of one or moresignals generated by encoders (e.g., magnetic or optical) which monitorcover movement, cam switches, hall-effect sensors, capacitor dischargeresponsive to cover movement, sensor/switches state change in responseto unauthorized cover movement, or monitoring of cover motor leads todetect movement of a belt-type cover. Upon reinsertion and connection ofthese drawers, the data or stated changes can be read and detected bythe controller.

In variant contemplated embodiments, the power source 238 for theelectronic memory 236 includes a battery, a power cell, a capacitorselectively charged by the controller 214, and/or other power sources,which may be coupled to each drawer unit 216, 218. Memory of events maybe recorded on the electronic memory 236 and retained for download, evenafter the power source 238 has expired or terminated. In otherembodiments, the electronic memory 236 may distinguish betweenauthorized and unauthorized manual movements of the covers 230, 232. Forexample, the electronic memory may record when an authorized user isimplementing a manual key override, such as during a power outage. Instill other embodiments, an unauthorized movement of the covers 230, 232may be detected by comparing the relative position of one of the covers230, 232 before and after a drawer unit 216, 218 has been accessed, notrequiring use of the electronic memory 236 and power source 238.

According to an exemplary embodiment, data may be transferred from theelectronic memory 236 to the controller 214. When the drawer units 216,218 are linked to the controller 214, data stored on the electronicmemory 236 may be downloaded by the controller (e.g., processor) andanalyzed. The data may include a broad spectrum of information,including by way of non-limiting example, a time and date of access ormovement, contents of a drawer unit, a form of access (e.g., authorizedor unauthorized, manual or automatic, etc.), accessing individual, formof authorization (e.g., prescription code, etc.), duration of access,and other such data. Analysis of the data may be designed to determinewhether an attempt had been made to access to the items within thecabinet system 210 without authorization. While the electronic memory236 is attached to each of the drawer units 216, 218 in FIG. 2, in othercontemplated embodiments electronic memory may coupled to a controller,a cabinet housing, or elsewhere in a cabinet system, and analysis ofdata collected regarding movement of a cover for a drawer unit may beperformed in real time, substantially as the cover is moved.

Still referring to FIG. 2, at least one of the drawer units 216, 218further includes a sensor 270 (e.g., photosensor, accelerometer, reedswitch) coupled to the respective cover 230, 232. The sensor 270 isconfigured and arranged so as to directly or indirectly detect movementof the respective cover 230, 232, and to communicate the movement to theelectronic memory 236 and/or to the controller 214. In some embodiments,the sensor 270 includes a potentiometer coupled to a pivot or wheelassociated with movement of the cover (see, e.g., roller 332 as shown inFIG. 4). The potentiometer generates an electric signal responsive tomovement of the cover 232 relative to the compartments 224, 226. Inother contemplated embodiments, the cover 232 includes the electricmotor 258 or other actuator configured to move the cover 232 in responseto instructions from the controller 214. Manual movement of the electricmotor 258 (e.g., reverse operation thereof) generates an electric signalthat is directed to the electronic memory 236, which records datarepresentative of the electric signal, and in turn of the manualmovement of the cover 232.

According to an exemplary embodiment, each drawer unit 216, 218 includesan alarm 264. Another alarm 266 is coupled to the controller 214. Insome embodiments, an electric signal generated in response to movementof one of the covers 230, 232 is also directed to at least one of thealarms 264, 266, which are configured to provide notice (e.g., alert,warn, broadcast) of unauthorized attempts to access items stored in thecabinet system 210. In some embodiments, the alarm 266 may be triggeredsubsequent to an unauthorized attempt, following analysis of datadownloaded by the controller 214 from the electronic memory 236.

In various embodiments, the alarms 264, 266 may be a visual alarms, suchas flashing lights, liquid crystal displays, light-emitting diodedisplays, warning messages, or other such visual signals. In otherembodiments, the alarms 264, 266 may be audio alarms, such as beeping,sirens, pre-recorded messages, or other such audio signals, or acombination of both visual and audio signals. In some embodiments, thealarm 266 may be a silent alarm, not intended to be noticed by thesomeone triggering the alarm 266, such as an electronic-mail (e-mail)message automatically transmitted, which reports an incident to an emailaccount of at least one pre-determined person (e.g., on-call doctor,hospital security, etc.).

Referring now to FIG. 3 an assembly 310 of drawer units 312 is attachedto a rear portion 314 of a cabinet housing (see, e.g., cabinet housing112 as shown in FIG. 1). The assembly 310 includes eight drawer units312 in two rows, where each drawer unit 312 includes a cover 320 (e.g.,sliding cover, indexing belt, hinged cover, removable cover, etc.)having an opening 322 therein. Each drawer unit 312 further includesside walls 328 (FIG. 4) that form compartments 334 interior to thedrawer unit 312. Restraining bars 340 are biased to hold contents of thecompartments 334 within the compartments 334 when the opening 322 of thecover 320 is aligned with each compartment 334. However, the bars 340may be manually lifted or pivoted as necessary to remove items from thecompartments 334. In still other embodiments, restraining bars are notincluded.

A visual interface, such as a light-emitting diode (LED) display 348, iscoupled to a face 350 of at least one of the drawer units 312. The LEDdisplay 348 is configured to provide a visual signal to a user of thecabinet system. According to an exemplary embodiment, the visual signalof the LED display 348 indicates that unauthorized tampering hasoccurred with the respective drawer unit 312. In other embodiments, theLED display 348 provides other information, such as contents of thedrawer unit 312, supply status information, etc.

When the drawer units 312 are stored within the cabinet housing, acontroller (see, e.g., controller 214 as shown in FIG. 2) may be inelectrical or other communication with the drawer units 312. However,the rear portion 314 of the cabinet housing may also include aninterlock (e.g., a switch, spring pin connection, etc.) that can breakcommunication between the controller and the drawer units 312 when asubstantial portion of each drawer unit 312 is slid from the rearportion 314 of the cabinet housing (e.g., substantial enough that anunauthorized person could grip and pull the drawer unit 312 and/or cover320 in order to force access to the compartments 334 thereof). As shownin FIG. 3, spring-loaded connection pins 330 separate connectivitybetween the drawer unit 312 from the rear portion 314, cuttingcommunication between the drawer unit 312 and the controller, uponsliding of the drawer unit 312 from the rear portion 314 of the cabinethousing.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the cover 320 forms a closure withrespect to the compartments 334 of the drawer unit 312. However, thecover 320 may be moved by an electric motor 352 (see FIG. 6),repositioning the opening 322 of the cover 320 to allow controlledaccess to one or more of the compartments 334 and/or to form a closurewith respect to other compartments 334. In some embodiments, sliding ofthe drawer unit 312 from the rear portion 314 of the cabinet housingstops the flow of electricity to the electric motor 352 used to move thecover 320 interlocking the cover 320.

The rear portion 314 of the cabinet housing includes a circuitry board(e.g., firmware, programmable read-only memory (PROM)) and a releasablelatch 354 (FIG. 7), both coupled to the controller. The latch 354 isconfigured to lock the drawer unit 312 to the rear portion 314 of thecabinet housing. An actuator 342 (e.g., solenoid, motorized pulley) mayrelease the latch 354 when directed to do so by the controller. Whenunlocked, the drawer unit 312 may slide relative to the cabinet housingalong a slide rail 344 that extends from the rear portion 314 of thecabinet housing.

Referring to FIG. 4 the drawer unit 312 includes a top frame 316 (e.g.cover), an insert 318, and a shell 324. The insert 318 fits within theshell 324, and the top frame 316, with flanges 326 extending therefrom,fits over the insert 318 and attaches to the shell 324. In someembodiments, the top frame 316 can be securely fastened to the shell 324by means of a thumb screw or other fasteners, to prevent removal of theinsert 318 from the shell 324.

The insert 318 includes the cover 320, a side wall 328, and rollers 332.The cover 320 may slide relative to the side wall 328 and compartments334 via the rollers 332. In some embodiments, the insert 318 includesintermediary flanges 372 extending from the side wall 328 (or from theshell 324) to contact receiving portions 374 of the shell 324 in orderto separate the cover 320 from the shell 324 during movement of thecover 320 (i.e., providing space for the cover 320 to move).

Referring now to FIG. 5, the insert 318 includes the cover 320 and abody 336. The body 336 includes divider walls 356 and side walls 328,which together form compartments 334. According to an exemplaryembodiment, some of the divider walls 356 may be fixed while others maybe removable, providing adjustable compartmentalization. In someembodiments, the insert 318 can optionally have two, three, or fourcompartments 334, depending upon the use of the removable divider walls356. Items of varying sizes may be stored in differently sizedcompartments 334. In such embodiments, the cover 320 may include twoopenings 322, one configured to match a larger compartment and the othersized for a smaller compartment. Depending upon the use, there may bemore than 2 opening sizes. The fixed divider walls 356 may be injectionmolded with the body 336, glued, welded, or otherwise fixed to the body336. In other embodiments, a body of an insert may be both longer and/ordeeper (or shorter and/or narrower) than the body 336 of FIG. 5. In somesuch embodiments, a body of an insert may include up to sixcompartments, with ten such inserts in a drawer assembly (cf. assembly310 as shown in FIG. 3).

According to an exemplary embodiment, the cover 320 may be an indexingbelt made of a continuous material, such as about 0.005 inch thickstainless steel sheet. Other contemplated embodiments include belts ofthicker clear mylar, polycarbonate sheet, rubber, or other materials.The cover 320 is preferably made to be flexible, such that the cover 320may bend about a portion of the insert 318, such as a roller 332.Bending of the cover 320 allows for a more-compact drawer unit design,because unused portions of the cover 320 may be folded about the body336. Other contemplated embodiments include flexible covers that are notbelts, such as straps, strips, bands, and the like, which may not slidefully around the body 336. For example, some embodiments include spoolsfor winding the flexible covers for storage and control thereof.

Still referring to FIG. 5, the cover 320 is designed with a series ofsmall holes 358 that are in coded sequences, readable by a sensor. Thecoded sequences vary at different positions on the cover 320, such thatdetection of a portion of the coded sequence by the sensor providespositional information to the controller of the cover 320 orientationrelative to the body 336. Still other embodiments count rotations of oneof the rollers 332 to determine the position of the cover 320 relativeto a starting position thereof. In some embodiments, holes may benoncircular, such as diamond-shaped, teardrop shaped, or otherwiseshaped. Including a corner (e.g., crack initiation location, vertex) tothe shape of the holes may improve tamper evidence by facilitating acontrolled tearing of the cover if unauthorized, forced entry isattempted.

The rollers 332 are positioned on the longitudinal ends of the insert318, where at least one of the rollers 332 is in the form of a sprocket360 (with teeth). In such embodiments, the cover 320 includes perforatedtracks 338. The teeth of the sprocket 360 fit the perforations 336, suchthat the cover 320 is moved relative to the body 336 via controlledrotation of the sprocket 360. In other embodiments, rollers 332 have ahigh-friction surface, such as sandpaper grit or a gripping rubber, forproviding force to move the cover 320, without teeth. The rollers 332may be injection molded from Celcon or Delrin materials, cast or moldedmetals, and/or composites.

Referring to FIG. 6 the insert 318 of the drawer unit 312 includes theside walls 328, the divider wall 356, the rollers 332 (one being asprocket 360), the electric motor 352, and a gear reduction 362. Theelectric motor 352 (e.g., direct current motor) is coupled to the gearreduction 362, which in turn is coupled to the sprocket 360, coupled tothe cover 320. According to an exemplary embodiment, the electric motor352 is selectively powered by the controller via a power/data buscoupled to the insert 318, and selectively connected to a power sourcewhen the drawer unit 312 is locked within the cabinet housing.

The insert 318 of FIG. 5 may additionally include a data storage device272 (FIG. 6) coupled to the power/data base. In some embodiments, thedata storage device is coupled to the electric motor 352. Manual slidingof the cover 320 forces the electric motor 352 to operate in reverse,generating an electric signal that is transmitted on the power/data bus.Data representative of the electric signal is stored on the data storagedevice 272. In other embodiments, the data storage device 272 is amechanical detection device, such as a spring-loaded interlock. Manualsliding of the cover 320 triggers the interlock, which locks the coverand may additionally trigger an alarm.

Referring now to FIG. 7, the shell 324 may be locked to the rear portion314 of the cabinet housing by a latch 354. The latch 354 extends beneaththe shell 324 and connects to the shell 324 via a strike 364 (e.g.,reinforced hole, catch) coupled to the shell 324. The latch 354 iscoupled the actuator 342, which may be directed by the controller torelease the shell 324. A security deflection tab 366 (e.g., “fishabilitybracket”), as shown in FIG. 4, may serve to block attempts to manipulatethe latch 354 from an above position, such as by drilling a hole in thetop of the cabinet housing and reaching down through the hole with a rodto release the latch 354. A second tab 368 extends from the shell 324 toblock attempts to manipulate the latch 354 from the front of the cabinethousing. A manual release plate 370 allows for release of the drawerunits 312 by key, code, etc., during a power outage (e.g., manual keyoverride).

The construction and arrangements of cabinet system, as shown in thevarious exemplary embodiments are illustrative only. Although only a fewembodiments have been described in detail in this disclosure, manymodifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions,structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values ofparameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors,orientations, etc.) without materially departing from the novelteachings and advantages of the subject matter described herein. Forexample, elements shown as integrally formed may be constructed ofmultiple parts or elements, the position of elements may be reversed orotherwise varied, and the nature or number of discrete elements orpositions may be altered or varied. The order or sequence of anyprocess, logical algorithm, or method steps may be varied orre-sequenced according to alternative embodiments. Other substitutions,modifications, changes and omissions may also be made in the design,operating conditions and arrangement of the various exemplaryembodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention

What is claimed is:
 1. A medical item storage cabinet system,comprising: a cabinet including a drawer bay and a locking mechanism; adrawer located within the drawer bay of the cabinet, the drawer slidablerelative to the drawer bay between an open position in which the drawerextends out of the drawer bay and a closed position in which the draweris located within the drawer bay, the locking mechanism configured toengage the drawer in the closed position, the drawer including: a firstcompartment; a second compartment; a cover movable by an electric motorto a first position to permit access to the first compartment and limitaccess to the second compartment and moveable to a second position topermit access to the second compartment and limit access to the firstcompartment; an electronic memory coupled to the drawer configured tostore information representative of movement of the cover that occurswhen the drawer is in the open position; a power source coupled to thedrawer configured to supply power to the electronic memory; wherein theelectronic memory and the power source are physically supported by thedrawer such that the electronic memory and the power source move withthe drawer relative to the drawer bay.
 2. The system of claim 1, furthercomprising a controller located within the cabinet and a connectorcoupled to the electronic memory and physically supported by the drawer,wherein the connector is electrically coupled to the controller when thedrawer is in the closed position and decoupled from the controller whenthe drawer is in the open position, and further wherein the controlleris configured to receive the information representative of movement ofthe cover that occurs when the drawer is in the open position from theelectronic memory when the connector is coupled to the controller. 3.The system of claim 1, wherein the power source is one of a rechargeablebattery or a capacitor.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the cover is acontinuous belt including a first opening sized to permit access to thefirst compartment and a second opening sized to permit access to thesecond compartment.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the informationrepresentative of movement of the cover stored by the electronic memoryincludes time, date and cover movement duration information.
 6. Thesystem of claim 5, further comprising a sensor configured to detect themovement of the cover, the sensor coupled to the electronic memory andconfigured to provide the information representative of movement of thecover to the electronic memory.
 7. The system of claim 1, furthercomprising a display device coupled to a face of the drawer, the displaydevice configured to display a visual indication that movement of thecover occurred while the drawer was in the open position.
 8. A cabinetsystem for securely storing items, comprising: a cabinet housing havinga locking mechanism; a controller associated with the cabinet housingand configured to operate the locking mechanism; and a drawer unitconfigured to be releasably locked at least partially within the cabinethousing by the locking mechanism, and slidable within a portion of thecabinet housing when released by the locking mechanism, the drawer unitcomprising: at least one storage compartment configured to store atleast one item; a cover movable to an open configuration and a closedconfiguration, wherein the cover limits access to the at least one itemof the storage compartment when the cover is in the closedconfiguration; a sensor configured to detect the movement of the cover;an electronic memory physically supported by the drawer unit such thatthe electronic memory moves with the drawer unit relative to the cabinethousing, the electronic memory coupled to the sensor and configured tostore data associated with a movement of the cover detected by thesensor; a connector coupled to the electronic memory and physicallysupported by the drawer unit, wherein the connector electrically couplesto the controller when the drawer unit is received within the cabinethousing, wherein the connector decouples from the controller when thedrawer unit extends out of the cabinet housing, and further wherein thecontroller is configured to receive the data from the electronic memorywhen the connector is coupled to the controller.
 9. The cabinet systemof claim 8, further comprising a power source physically supported bythe drawer unit such that the power source moves with the drawer unitrelative to the cabinet housing, the power source coupled to andsupplying power to the electronic memory.
 10. The cabinet system ofclaim 9, wherein the power source is one of a rechargeable battery or acapacitor.
 11. The cabinet system of claim 8, wherein the controller islocated within the cabinet housing.
 12. The cabinet system of claim 8,wherein the electronic memory stores time and date informationassociated the cover movement data.
 13. The cabinet system of claim 8,further comprising an LED coupled to a front face of the drawer unit,the LED configured to display a visual indication that movement of thecover was detected by the sensor.
 14. The cabinet system of claim 8,wherein the drawer unit further comprises an electric motor coupled tothe controller and configured to move the cover relative to the at leastone storage compartment when directed to do so by the controller. 15.The cabinet system of claim 14, wherein the electronic memory isconfigured to store data associated with the movement of the cover whenthe movement occurs without being driven by the electric motor.
 16. Thecabinet system of claim 14, wherein the electronic memory is configuredto store data associated with the movement of the cover only when themovement occurs without being driven by the electric motor.
 17. Thecabinet system of claim 14, wherein the electric motor is the sensor andis configured to generate a signal when driven by a manual movement ofthe cover, and wherein the electronic memory is configured to receivethe signal and to store data representative of the signal.
 18. A cabinetsystem for securely storing medical items, comprising: a cabinethousing; a drawer moveable relative to the cabinet housing between anopen position in which the drawer extends out of the cabinet housing anda closed position in which the drawer is located within the cabinethousing, the drawer comprising: a plurality of storage compartments; acover moveable relative to the plurality of storage compartments toprovide access to each of the plurality of storage compartments; asensor configured to detect manually forced movement of the cover; anelectronic memory physically supported by the drawer such that theelectronic memory moves with the drawer relative to the cabinet housing,the electronic memory coupled to the sensor and configured to store dataassociated with a manually forced movement of the cover detected by thesensor; and an indicator display coupled to a front face of the drawer,the indicator display configured to display a visual indication thatmanual forced movement of the cover was detected by the sensor; alocking mechanism configured to lock the drawer when the drawer is inthe closed position; and a controller associated with the cabinethousing and configured to operate the locking mechanism.
 19. The cabinetsystem of claim 18, further comprising a controller and an electricmotor configured to slide the cover relative to the storage compartmentswhen directed to do so by the controller.
 20. The cabinet system ofclaim 19, wherein the electronic memory stores time and date informationassociated the with the data of a manually forced movement of the coverdetected by the sensor.